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World Design (Ruairidh Thompson, 1700658)
Setting With Amsterdam being a relatively new city (only being granted City Status at the beginning of the 1300’s) around the time that the Silk Road was prominent, the supernatural beings paid little attention to the city pre-freeze. Now that they have been released back into the world, the supernatural beings simply forgot the city existed, striking around the city but never attacking it directly. This allowed Amsterdam to flourish in the post-apocalyptic world, becoming an advanced hub of sorcery and recreation, with the more experienced of The Gifted experimenting new ways to use their abilities. It also allowed Amsterdam to become a safe haven, taking in any travelling Gifted with untamed powers. Most of the city’s infrastructure remained the same while a few areas adapted to the times, becoming arenas for sorcery tournaments and training grounds for Gifted to hone their skills. Advancements Amsterdam became heavily involved with the development of Disenchanters after the Re-Enchantment with the high volumes of Gifted entering the city. The drug started out very rudimentary, only just moderating Gifted’s powers and amplifying the side effects to a point where there were more costs than benefits. However, the desperate Gifted persevered, refining the drug into the world’s purest version of Disenchanters, some strains removing the side effects completely, some boosting the individual’s other senses, and others giving it a recreational use to non-enhanced individuals. Due to how under-the-radar Amsterdam was during the Re-Enchantment, practically all of the city survived and still hasn’t been attacked. This has allowed scientists to create a magic resistant material for buildings to be built out of/reinforced by, in preparation for an attack and against any Gifted accidents. Politics The people of Amsterdam are very open and forward thinking; however, their Government isn’t quite so. The Re-Enchantment created opportuning for Gifted individuals to step up to positions of power, but like most bodies of power, some think inward and only about how they can benefit. The borders of Amsterdam opened with open arms – but only to Gifted. But this wasn’t out of kindness, the Gifted in power saw visions of a Gifted only utopia, and while this slowly became a reality, training accidents were frequent, leaving a demand for more. Some Gifted just wanted to lead a normal life however, and sought out the city’s advanced Disenchanters. Once this because widespread the Gifted members of government cracked down hard, making all Disenchanters which had a lasting effect on individuals illegal and forced the creation of a watered down, heavily taxed version which had little effect on Gifted’s, it was also able to be used recreationally by non-enhanced individuals. This was all in an effort to push the drug out, however, this only created a rift between the Gifted. Anyone who wasn’t enhanced with powers had to provide something to offer in exchange for asylum, be it technological prowess, raw materials, or notable strength. Those in the latter category were forced to fight with others to earn their spot, the winner would be enrolled into the hub’s non-enhanced military. This helped keep the population count at bay in relation to the resources the city had, and it also kept the city from becoming too big and coming onto the supernatural’s radar. Key Features While Amsterdam’s canals and vibrant houses survived the Re-Enchantment, places like the Red Light District and many of its “coffee shops” were adapted to the times. The Red Light District was completely changed into the Sorcery & Combat circle (the S&C). Becoming home to a variety of forgeries, sorcery training centres, fight schools and the Infamous Red Light battle arena. This battle arena was frequently used for gladiator matches for entertainment, and it was seen as a great honour to fight and die here. While the arena was mainly used for fights, there were also special occasions where it would play host to various forms of art (i.e music concerts and plays) in an attempt to maintain culture and happiness, while some missed the charm of the Red Light District, the crowds longed for a good fight. While some “coffee shops” remained, they were overshadowed by the swell of Disenchantment Venders which had come in. At first these shops sold all kinds of varieties on the drug, but as laws tightened up, the venders typically sold the watered down version at a government mandated price, however some venders were sympathetic to the plight of the Gifted and offered reduced prices, some were even able to source the illegal version, but this had to be very well kept from the government. Following their survival of the Re-Enchantment, the people of Amsterdam elected for a wall to be created around the city for security. In which there is only one heavily guarded entrance to the city, this entrance processes all who seek asylum in the city and evaluates what they can bring to the population.